COME TOGETHER

I met St Thomas at the George Harrison forum. We had many lively debates about many subjects (i.e. hidden messages, such as the following Come Together piece, and a good discussion of the Paul Is Dead stuff). Unfortunately that site suffered a crash and we lost all our writings. I asked St Thomas to help recreate our theory (I've not heard this anywhere else) that Come Togther was about the 4 Beatles.
I picture the song Come Together as Lennon's attempt to wrestle The Beatles back from Paul's control, and to reaffirm that he, John Lennon, was indeed the master mind behind the Beatles. The four of them, himself included, did after all Come Together over John to form The Beatles.

COME TOGETHER

Lyrics, whether subconscious or conscious, tend to reveal something or somewhat how a person feels on 'the inside' about things (I mean thats what creativity, art, poetry, music etc. is all about right? Feelings expressed in words, picture, sculpture, music and all and sundry)...

. . . . . . . .

Think of that game people play (and psychologists when they see an image or an object and have to 'name' or 'say' the first thing that comes to their mind. Thats how the right hemisphere of your brain works. It sees an unidentifiable object (like in a Rorschach test) and ascribes a name to it. That the left hemisphere could easily classify and rationalise that 'object' as a stick, or dog, the right hemisphere would describe it as a , well, butterfly pooing or something. Rationalisation and logic are parts of the left hemisphere almost exclusively, the right hemisphere is an unknown landscape of information and interpreted events beyond the left's logical conclusions.

So when a writer or painter chooses to use right hemisphere exclusively for their works (as in surreal art or prose), left brain 'real world' events are interpreted by right brain 'imaging' of said events. The subject always will have left brain influence, but the right brain will 'tell' what it sees in the way it knows how to. Sometimes vaguely, sometimes cryptic, allusory etc.

Well. I just noticed, and maybe this is something everyone saw before and I just saw it now, or maybe its another one of those ''Amuse me and ponder these lyrics Lennon things', but funnily enough there's something a little funny going on in 'Come Together'. Even if you get all surreal, cryptic and obtuse about things with your mind and intellect, guess what, your heart knows the truth and tends to govern quite a bit more than the mind would like to admit. ANYWAY . . . . . my point. But its just an observation, nothing to be taken seriously.

In the four separate verses of 'Come Together' a person is being alluded to. Its never quite clear if it's always just one person alluded to four times, or four people separately for each verse. Stick with me, this might be fun.

If taken from this verse:

''He bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knees
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease''

Well come on. No matter how cryptic and silly and vague it is, thats John. Every reference alludes to something at that time in his life. Bag. Ono. Walrus. Its just when you apply the other verses to the other 3 it kinda gets interesting. The only thing is the Ringo and Paul verses (?????), but of course I'm stretching here , aren't as pinpointed and seem more a private observation.

''Here come old flattop
he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball
he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please''
Hmmm. George.. I'll let the George fans, if they want, spot the references.

''He roller-coaster
he got early warning
He got muddy water
he one mojo filter
He say "one and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking
’cause he’s so hard to see''

Personally? Because it was 1969 when it was written, Paul. The roller coaster just seems a substitute for a Helter Skelter! John, I honestly think was having fun with this, and being all vague probably did amuse him that fans would be ga-ga over the references. But at the same time, it kinda does say something accidentally! I guess its what you imagine a mojo-filter to be! I have my ideas what a mojo-filter would actually do. Muddy water is a great reference to a bluesman, or does it kinda say that this person's vision isn't quite clear? OR is it saying that this person has the blues. 'Scratch own chin in reflective pondering'

I'm sure John thought about these lyrics in a way of saying, I'm going to play with this a bit, but I'm not quite sure he 'hid' everything he felt like saying as well as he thought he might, or did. It comes off like a joke, but it still kind of says something. The one and one and one is three is kind of an interesting line, because it is so strange to actually see, but then I kind of look at what Paul was going through being the 'outsider' Beatle at the time and kind of up against the others about manager and direction. Its a funny line.

I mean I'm sure this has all been analysed before by some hippie or disc jockey, and i'm sure it amused John quite a bit. Unfortunately, when you look at what was going on at the time in his life, some of those odd references sort of add up to something.

And the last bit:

''He wear no shoeshine
he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger
he shoot coca-cola
He say "i know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free''

The only one left is Ringo, but I have NO clue what that all means!!! Some of those lines I have a hard time tying to him, though monkey finger seems to bring to mind someone clumsy. I just get a picture of a monkey trying to get an object out of a hole thats smaller than the object. Naiveness. And 'he wear no shoeshine' seems to be a comment about a person who doesn't go for fancy dressings, for adornments, they are as they are, as you see them. No shoeshine, just the shoes.

Let's figure out this one for kicks. Play along if you like

''He roller-coaster
he got early warning
He got muddy water
he one mojo filter
He say "one and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking
’cause he’s so hard to see''

If we take each line separately, and don't approach it looking for a person, just what that line describes, what that line conjurs up in your head by the words used, maybe it brings it a little closer to who it may be?
I would love for everyone if they have the time to put their own thoughts into it.

He roller coaster

To me, maybe everyone, this automatically conjures up an image of a rollercoaster! But if I apply the qualities of a rollercoaster to a person, it then becomes different. A rollercoaster is fast, furious, swerving, up and down, frenzied. Applied to a person:

A rollercoaster person would seem to be someone who switches extremes quickly and with little warning. As an observer, you are taken along on this ride whether you like it or not, and susceptible to it's (his or her's) twists and turns at a moment's notice.

He got early warning

Early warning just brings to mind: a present danger was made known before it actually arrived.

He got muddy water

Muddy Water as a reference still points to blues, or depression. The musician Muddy Waters was known for the blues (and how you get them ). Its possible this may be name dropping for the sake of it, but it also says something about that early warning said before. The present danger has lead to depression.

Muddy Water also brings to mind something unclear, murky, not seen or visible.

He one mojo filter

Mojo meaning: a magic spell, hex, or charm; broadly : magical power.
The word or term is from African origin. Pretty much linked up to Muddy by proxy by reference anyway.

Filter: a device or material for suppressing or minimizing waves or oscillations of certain frequencies (as of electricity, light, or sound)
(just one definition)

But basically a filter is used to dilute or suppress the effects of something.
If everyone is playing along, let me know what you think a mojo-filter would do

He say "one and one and one is three"

The strange line. (Right - out of all the ones already ) Its the most interesting line of this verse. Its obviously following the pattern set up by the other verses (disease, knees, please etc.) so maybe it is just a throw in line for the sake of a rhyme. Its just that what follows it:

''Got to be good-looking ’cause he’s so hard to see''

Thats ABOUT something. That one line makes this verse make alot of sense, it gives it continuity and a theme. The rollercoaster, muddy water, mojo filter, all seem to say things that are diluted, not held down, unclear, not visible, static or in flux, just by what those images bring up in the mind. It is hard to see a rollercoaster in motion, as hard as it is to see a person's emotions go up and down, almost impossible to focus on it for one second or more. Muddy water is hard to see through anyway! The Mojo Filter? The filter gets in the way of whatever that POWER, that Magical force actually holds. Everything is somehow hidden.

So what is 'one and one and one is three' saying?
Thats an observation about something that can be seen. That is visible and very clear. The one thing in this verse that is.

Okay.

JOHN:
''He bag production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knees
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease''

Everything about this verse screams John. The interesting lines are
He one spinal cracker
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease''

"Spinal cracker": just says to me what it implies, someone who will break your spine, like a nutcracker.

"Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease"
In his presence you can feel his sickness, his illness, his symptoms of distress or pain. Or when you get close to him, you are aware of how much pain he is in.

GEORGE:
''Here come old flattop
he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball
he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please''

''Here come old flattop''
The Chuck Berry reference of the first verse is a good clue to who this is. Who sang 'Roll Over Beethoven' in The Beatles early years? Who was 'the guitarist' of The Beatles. Images of Chuck Berry are almost always with his guitar, and I don't think George was much different in person or in private.

"He come grooving up slowly"
George's personality in general? Always in control and in tune, but at his own pace. 'Grooving' just puts in my mind, rhythm, in tune, vibrating, like it meant back in the 60's, to 'be in the groove'. That its slowly is not patronising. It is at his own choosing.

"He got joo-joo eyeball"
A joo-joo (or ju-ju) is a candy or sweet, like a jellybean. But this also says to me something shiny, voluminous, bigger than ordinary. The important thing that you might miss is that its only ONE eyeball. Just one eye. Or perhaps the Third Eye of Krishna consciousness, of spiritual awareness.

"He one holy roller"
Well by 1969 George certainly was one. He was one until he died. And I don't think is quite meant in the Bible Belt Holy Roller way, because from what I'm seeing so far in this verse, every line seems quite affectionate. My mind just might be changing about how John felt about George. There's something quite sweet about this verse.

"He got hair down to his knee"
By 1969 it was getting there, by 1970 it was nearly there. But if you imagine him sitting in yoga position, which he probably did quite often in the studio, it just might appear he had hair going all the way down to his knee.

Got to be a joker he just do what he please
Interesting line. I'll leave it up to someone to tell me what they see in this one. Again, I don't think its patronising at all.

PAUL:
''He roller-coaster
he got early warning
He got muddy water
he one mojo filter
He say "one and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking
’cause he’s so hard to see''

"He roller-coaster "
Could be an allusion to a ride like a Helter Skelter, which Paul wrote, but the rest of this verse doesn't seem so kind, like John's having fun with the imagery. This verse is a bit darker than the others. A rollercoaster? A ride that takes you up and down and all around with little warning about what its going to do next.

"He got early warning"
This song is about 4 people, and it seems in reference to the other three, this person received early warning of some danger ahead, something sparked their attention to what was about to come. Maybe Brian Epstein's death, and what it meant for The Beatles future.

"He got muddy water"
Either this person has the blues, or this person is unclear in seeing what it is they are 'about' by the narrator of the song, the one who asks them all to Come Together.

"He one mojo filter"
This person is diluting the magic that was had before. The tone of the line comes across like black slang ' He one bad muthafu**a', this person is one mojo filter for sho, it seems to say. The charm and power are being sapped because of this influence, this 'cover'.

"He say "one and one and one is three"
Every single line of this verse alludes to something that is hard to see, or barely visible, apart from this one line. This line says a fact. This person says that they see, 1 and 1 and 1 and that makes 3. That is a point blank statement where every other one is 'hidden' . And that Paul's standing at the time with the other three in 1969 was not all that good with Apple, music, management control, direction, practically everything, this person would see 3 quite easily from HIS viewpoint. Back to the narrator . . .

"Got to be good-looking ’cause he’s so hard to see"
Known as the 'face' of The Beatles, the public persona, the Cute One, the 'good looking' reference seems an obvious point at Paul, but its the next line thats the more intriguing. It is taken at general face value that this person is what they are on the surface, because it is so hard to see anything else there. This line says a number of things all at once.

1) The only thing this person has is their 'looks' because there is little else there to see, as in he's GOT to be good looking on the outside because he feels there is so little on the inside worth showing.

2) Its taken that he must be good looking because he is barely there or 'around' to see if he is or not.

But most of all, cause he's so hard to see just says, this person is difficult to 'see'. This could mean about their drives, motives, feelings, thoughts. It could be about anything, but I really think it points to that this 3rd person of 4, is very difficult to understand why they are being a mojo filter, or a rollercoaster, or in muddy water for the narrator.

RINGO:
''He wear no shoeshine
he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger
he shoot coca-cola
He say "i know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free''

I haven't quite got this one yet, its a couple of lines in it that are a little bit confusing, but the first line

"He wear no shoeshine"
Just says to me, a person who does not wear fancy frills or decoration, no airs or devices. This person, when you see their shoes, just has shoes AS IS. What you see is what you get, they will not make themselves appear as what they are not.

I need help with this one. He got monkey finger seems to say someone who is clumsy, or naive. When I picture 'monkey finger' I always see an image of a monkey trying to get an object out of a hole too small, but trying its hardest to get it out. Someone who would have a monkey finger seems to imply someone who is slightly clumsy but determined. But I'm not sure about this verse. Its like he wasn't sure what to say about Ringo, or maybe he lost some of the energy that he put into the Paul verse by this point, making Ringo a bit undefined.

Maybe he just ran out of creative steam, and kind of skimmed over Ringo. But there are some important lines, especially

He shoot coca-cola

He say "i know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free''

Those ones are very interesting, and I'm not thinking Coca Cola is actually a cocaine reference, but I do think it alludes to drug of preference for Ringo, which was alcohol. The Ringo verse is a hard one to decipher in general. Less easier than George & John for sure.

The Beatles WERE approached in 1969 to do commercials for Coca Cola, and footage does exist of these 'spots' , and its also known that Ringo's drug of preference was Scotch & Coke, and then later Bourbon & Coke. It might be possible that a guy who's recreational activites involved heavy sponsorship of one particular brand, might just shoot a Coca Cola commercial faster than maybe a Holy Roller, a Mojo Filter, or a Walrus Gumboot.